Rick, Marty, and the team arrive at the southeast corner of the swamp to discuss the recent work stoppage requested by CCH. Laird Niven explains to Marty that he found Mi'kmaq pottery in the area and estimates its age at 500 to 2,500 years old. All activity along the eastern border of the swamp will cease until the Mi'kmaq Rights Initiative and CCH can assess the site and make a determination. The restricted zone includes the stone road where the team has made numerous discoveries, among them cargo barrels, shipbuilding tools, and a new stone feature that could be part of a path leading to the Money Pit. Dr. Ian Spooner interprets the new stone feature as an attempt to produce a dry surface, possibly a continuation of the earlier stone structure. Laird does not believe the new path was constructed by the Mi'kmaq, but all work in the area will remain on hold until clearance is granted.
Terry Matheson and Scott Barlow supervise the drilling of Borehole D-1 on Lot 18, five feet from D-2 and within the C-1 Cluster where water testing has indicated the presence of gold and silver. A core from 85 feet shows no evidence of a tunnel, but Scott notes the next sample is still at a depth where tunnel material dated to as early as 1488 and metal have been found. The core from 89 to 99 feet produces wood from multiple beams at 90 feet, and Rick arrives to inspect the find in an area where the team previously had no evidence of underground structures. Charles Barkhouse and Terry then examine cores from Borehole CD-4.5, where a sample from 78 feet reveals wood at approximately 75 feet. Charles detects metal in the sample and digs out an unidentifiable piece that will be sent to Kelly Bourassa for examination. Rick takes the metal to the archaeology trailer, where XRF scanning confirms it contains both iron and gold.
Scott, Charles, and Billy Gerhardt move to the Dunfield spoils area on Lot 18, where Robert Dunfield deposited material from his 100-foot-wide, 140-foot-deep excavation using a 70-ton crane. Gary Drayton and Jack Begley search the spoils as Billy works through them. Gary soon finds a heavy chisel the group believes was used for fine detail work, and he suggests that with all the carved stones on the island it could be depositor related. Billy then notices dark wood in the excavator bucket that appears hand hewn and too thick for dimensional lumber. Since the circular saw was not in use until the late 18th century, the wood could be from the original Money Pit shaft. Gary and Jack continue searching and recover a cribbing spike. At the research center, Rick and Marty meet with Dr. Spooner to examine the round shot found recently on Lot 16. Spooner confirms it is not natural and not a stone found in Nova Scotia, noting it is very similar to a stone Michael John recovered the previous year from Borehole E-5.25 spoils. Doug Crowell shows Spooner the earlier stone for comparison, and Spooner says both are not local and recommends a specialist for further analysis.
Rick, Charles, and Marty meet Kelly Bourassa at the archaeology trailer to examine the metal object from 75.5 feet in Borehole CD-4.5. Kelly's analysis confirms it contains iron and gold. Marty questions how a gold-bearing piece of metal ends up 75 feet deep in what could be a tunnel, and whether this supports his theory of an offset tunnel leading to a treasure chamber. He requests a full analysis from Dr. Christa Brosseau. In the War Room, geology professor Dr. Robert Raeside reports that the two stone shots are olivine gabbro and olivine basalt, volcanic rocks that erupted or formed underground and would not naturally occur on the island. He explains they are typical of hot-spot volcanic island chains such as the Canary Islands and the Azores. Dr. Brosseau then presents her analysis of the CD-4.5 metal, explaining it is iron with manganese confined to a single spot, meaning the manganese is original to the ore and not a later addition. Several gold flakes are present on the object, and their composition is almost identical to the gold found on the D-2 metal. She tells the team the gold's copper content is typical of what came from South America, consistent with 14-karat or rose gold where copper was added to strengthen the alloy.
